What Would Happen
by FanGirlFreak16
Summary: If Kenny never came back.
1. Chapter 1

Knees drawn up to her chest, arms hugging a brown box, and window open completely wide, Karen ignored the cold air penetrating her entire room. She wanted it to be a lie. She wanted to see her guardian angel appear before her, sitting on her window sill, and come into her room to comfort her about her older brother's death. That's all she wanted.

Mysterion.

Her guardian angel.

Want Kyle, Cartman, Stan, and all of Kenny's other shitty friends to be pulling some elaborate and cruel prank.

For Mysterion and Kenny to not be the same person.

But in all honesty, she knew she was just denying the truth. In fact, she was surprised that she had not put the pieces together sooner. After all, how else would Kenny know secrets that she _only_ told Mysterion? She was always closer to Kenny than Kevin, but this somehow brought her to long having Kenny there even more. To think, she had someone as kind and understanding in her family as Mysterion. Someone who could have been there to always lift her spirits when she was down.

She couldn't get over it. Seeing Kenny's corpse in the hospital after only two days. He had been so terribly ill. So hot. His fever hadn't gone down at all. He was too warm to keep his parka on. His blonde hair had stuck to his sweat beaded forehead, and whatever words he ended up speaking were no longer muffled. They were clear as day. And the day he had passed, his hand falling limp in her own, it had been like watching a horror movie unfold in slow motion.

God, how horrible she had felt. She had never felt as heart broken in her life. Never. The first night with him no longer in their home, she just watched her window, awaiting Mysterion's arrival.

But he never came.

She had been confused and even more heartbroken with this, but the longer he stayed away, the more depressed she became. And it hadn't been until the day of his funeral, that she had been told that Mysterion wasn't ever coming back.

But she didn't believe Kyle. She cried heavier, calling him a liar. And even when Eric and Stan tried to back him up and tell her that he wasn't lying, she didn't believe a word that any of them said.

If Kenny wasn't going to be here for anymore, she at least needed Mysterion.

He was all she had left, after all.

But the more nights she had stayed up, the more she began to believe Kyle. And the more she realized that, the more she realized how alone she really was. Sure, Kevin was still alive, but even if he was a good big brother, he had already moved out and didn't visit often. Which, if she were Kevin, she wouldn't visit either. Especially with how bad their parents continued to fight after Kenny's tragic death.

Sighing, Karen dug out a cell phone that Kyle's mother had supplied her with. It was a nice phone, perhaps the nicest thing she had ever received as far as condition went. As far as value to herself, it was pretty low on the list. Of course, at number one, the doll Kenny had gotten her when she was still small. And right up there at number two, the Mysterion costume that sat in the box within her arms. She placed Kyle's number into the dial, her parents' screaming beginning to get on her nerves.

She nearly thought twice, but nonetheless hit the green button and placed the phone up to her ear, waiting for her brother's Jewish friend to pick up. She doubted that he would answer, however, for the clock in the corner of her phone read 1:03am. She listened to the phone ring.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

"Karen?"

The voice startled her, and out of instinct, she immediately replied, "What are you doing up?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Kyle asked, confusion, and a bit of a smirk obvious through his tone.

"Not really," She stated. "I don't need anyone to worry about me."

"Karen..." Kyle said sadly, "lots of people care and worry about you. Stan and I included. Hell, even Cartman."

"Don't use that word," Karen reprimanded while stiffening. Curse words always brought up bad memories. "Those are the words Mommy and Daddy use."

"Right, my bad." Kyle apologized, regret in his voice.

Karen took a deep breath before looking out her window, envisioning her guardian angel bursting through and cheering her up. "What are you doing awake anyways?"

She could hear Kyle sigh over the line. "Haven't been able to sleep well ever since Kenny's death, honestly," He admitted. "Right now, we would all normally be out fighting crime, and he would sneak away at random intervals to come and help you or check on you. We would be fighting over whose franchise was cooler, Coon and Friends or Freedom Pals. We would be helping those who needed it. I miss that."

"I miss it, too," Karen responded, even though she couldn't relate to the playing superheros level. But she had lost two things the day Kenny had died. Her big brother, and her guardian angel. "I miss when he would let me hold his arm when I was scared, or let me sleep in his bed when Mom and Dad were arguing. I miss him warding off all of the bullies at school. I miss him in general."

There was a brief pause on the other side of the line, and she awaited the elder's response. "You know, Karen," He began, "if you ever need us to, I know that Stan, Eric and I are all more than willing to go kick the bullies' ass-I mean, butts for you. We're all here for you."

Karen felt a very faint smile touch her lips. "Thanks, Kyle," But her smile soon faded. "I miss when Mysterion would help me through things like that."

"Well, Karen, don't forget, Mysterion was Kenny and Kenny was Mysterion. So everything that Mysterion told you and did for you was Kenny telling you that as well."

She looked away from the window and back to the box, looking at the lavender colored jumpsuit with the green 'M' on the abdomen along with his dark purple hoodie that had the springy question mark on it. Not only that but as well as his green gloves and underwear.

God, how she missed seeing that outfit on her brother.

 **I've been exploring more shows and animes, and this somehow withered its way to my fan girl of a heart. This started off as a one shot, but turned into a story too long for just a single chapter. More chapters are to come.**


	2. Chapter 2

"He said that he would always be here for me," She said slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. "They both did."

"And they meant it," Kyle said softly. "They both did."

"Then why did they leave?!" She cried, straining her voice to attempt to not cry, but failing.

"They didn't leave," Kyle told her. "They're still with you."

"Not like they used to be."

"Well, no, but still there nonetheless. I know Kenny wants nothing more than to be with you right now."

"I...I have to go." She said, hanging up immediately afterwards. Tears began to fall quickly once she tossed the phone on the opposite end of her bed. Her face felt hot, her throat strained, and her eyes stung. She was sick of crying. She was sick of feeling alone. She was sick of her parents. She was sick of the sadness. Sick of the pain. Sick of feeling sick. She wanted all of this to end. She just wanted Mysterion back.

Kenny.

There's no one else in this world she would rather have back more than him.

Kenny.

Her hands reached inside of the box, fingers lacing around the hood of the Mysterion costume. Gingerly, she took out the purple hood with the springy M. She hugged it close to her chest, placing the box on the opposite side of her bed. She looked at the hood with longing and teary eyes before bursting into tears. She buried her wet face in the dark purple fabric, noting the smell that the hood gave off. God, how had she not noticed that Mysterion had really been Kenny? His hood smelled exactly like him.

And she relished in it for the moment that she noticed the scent.

Her parents always smelled of alcohol and sometimes cigarettes. Kevin would often smell of alcohol as well, but not as strong as her parents did.

But Kenny.

He never smelled of alcohol or cigarettes. He always smelled so nice and fresh. Kind of like pine. And it always made Karen feel so comfortable.

So safe.

Considering her life had been full of agony and fear, Kenny had been her only true safe place and safe person.

The thought of that made her grip the hoodie even harder than before. Why was she being placed through this hell? What had she ever done wrong? She didn't understand. She was always kind to everyone and never discriminated others. She treated everyone equally and never ever fought anyone, even if it would have been for self defense.

She put the hood on over her head before grabbing her phone and going towards her door. She twisted the brass knob and opened the door before walking to Kenny's room. The room had been untouched ever since his passing. Upon entry, Karen was hit with the smell of dust. It caked nearly everything inside the room. His run down dresser, his mattress, even all of the clothes hanging in his closet had a thick coat of dust. Giving a gentle cough, Karen walked deeper into his room, looking at everything that gave her memories.

His half naked women posters were still plastered to his walls, dust also coating them. She walked up to them, running a finger over the female's leg. The trail was quite evident, the dust now caking her finger.

She brushed it off on her pant leg, the same pants she had worn for nearly a week now. She walked over to his mattress, staring at it for a moment. It was quite old. Older than herself. He had had that bed for his entire life. And not only that, but he always slept in the same place and position leaving a giant indentation of his body into the memory foam. She stared at it, envisioning a figure wearing an orange parka, very few strands of his blonde hair sticking out of the hood and knees drawn up to his chest and his back curled up around them.

She felt fresh tears well up in her eyes as she slumped down to her knees. She crawled onto the mattress and took in the same position Kenny used to take every night while falling asleep. She took note on how much bigger his outline was than her's. He had been well over six foot, she had known. Her eleven year old figure couldn't compare to his seventeen year old figure. Her tears slid down her dirty cheeks and into a puddle on the mattress, soaking into the soft memory foam.

She looked down to the phone in her hand, going to her contacts. She clicked on a boy's name that she knew for a fact would not answer.

 _Ring..._

 _Ring..._

 _Ring..._

 _Ring..._

 _Ring..._

 _Hello, you_ ' _ve reached the voicemail box of Kenny McCormick. If this is Stan, Kyle, Eric, Butters or anyone of the sort, fuck off, I_ ' _m obviously busy. If this is Karen, however, keep calling me until I answer, baby girl. I_ ' _m sorry I missed your call, sweetheart. You know what to do._

 _Beep..._

She hung up, tears falling much faster than before. His voice. His sweet sweet voice could hardly be remembered anymore by her young brain. Hearing his voicemail every once and a while helped, but it never restored her memory completely. Unlike his normal speech being mumbled over by his heavy parka, his voicemail was completely clear.

And it was the most soothing voice ever. Even with the naughty word that her parents often spoke out, he somehow made it sound no longer naughty but normal and not full of hatred.

She looked down at her phone once more, feeling it vibrate in her hand. She looked to the caller ID and was shocked to see Eric Cartman's number. She pressed the green button, accepting his call and placing the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Karen? Hey, Karen, it's Cartman. How you doing?"

"Fabulous," She spoke sarcastically. "I love crying in my brother's bed at 1:30 in the morning."

She could hear him sigh over the receiver and a few more voices in the background that she could make out faintly. Was...Was that Kyle...and Stan...and Ike? What was going on? "Hey, Karen, wanna come over to my house to sleep at? Kyle and Stan and Ike are here. And of course, so is my kitty." He knew how much Karen absolutely adored his small cat that would always want to take his pot pie's in his younger days.

Karen let out a very faint smile. "It sounds like all of you set this up."

"So what if we did?" Cartman asked, his smirk even decipherable through the phone's receiver. "So what's it going to be? You comin' over or are we supposed to watch all of the seasons of Terrance and Philip by ourselves?"

She gave a small chuckle. "You know the ways straight to my heart, don't you, fatty?"

"Hey, I'm not fat! Just big boned!" Cartman laughed slightly. She was the only one who could call the lump of lard fat and not get yelled at for it by the plump teenager, much to her delight and amusement. "So what's it going to be, Karen? You for it or are you going to stay home and be boring?"

She let out a giggle, the first giggle she had ever given since Kenny's death. "I wanna come." She answered.

"Great, so our plan didn't go to waste! That's good or else you would have owed me money," She knew he was kidding with her. Although, if it were Kenny, he would have been serious. "I'm on my way now. Get ready. Get some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow."

She sat up on Kenny's mattress, her uncovered feet standing and making their own way to her room to gather the supplies Cartman had instructed that she would need. "Alright, Cartman."

"Alright, see you in a minute, kid."

"See ya. Oh, and, Cartman?"

"Yeah, chump?"

"Thanks." She uttered, hanging up after she had said that. She finally had a bit of pep in her step as she grabbed out a worn down bag and grabbed out a nice set of pajamas and clothes for tomorrow. Not only that, but she also grabbed her shampoo and conditioner, knowing that Liane would allow her to bathe at their house. Not that she couldn't in her own home, but now that she had some assortment of motivation, she finally felt like showering.

For the first time since Kenny's death, she was excited.


	3. Chapter 3

Karen froze upon hearing the door of her home squeak open. She thought it to be two possibilities. One, an unwanted intruder entered her home, or two, Eric Cartman entered her home. Ever since Kenny had passed, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and sometimes Butters would often enter the home without so much as a knock or a ring on the doorbell. Especially if they came over at the night hours so they wouldn't risk waking her drunks of parents. "Karen? Karen, it's Eric." His voice whispered within the air. She let out a gentle smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she made her way quickly down the dilapidated stair.

"Coming!" She whisper yelled. But it was loud enough for Cartman to hear down in the living room. Most of the lights in the home were off. Save for the upstairs hallway and the kitchen's, making the already mistreated house all the more creepier. She entered the living room, seeing Cartman's barely lit silhouette in the near darkness, save for the streaks of light that bled into the living room from the kitchen.

"Ready to go?" He asked her in a hushed voice. She nodded excitedly, gripping the strap of her bag tightly. It wasn't until Cartman got a better look at her before he noticed something. "Um...Karen?"

"Yeah?" She asked, confusion evident in her voice and eyes as to why Cartman wasn't proceeding with her to his truck.

"The...um...hood. You wanna leave that here, or..." His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence, not needing to speak anymore than he already had. Karen was confused for a moment before her fingers wandered to her head, wondering what hood Cartman was referring to. As her fingers touched the purple silk of the Mysterion hood, her eyes brightened in realization, her mood dulling quite substantially.

"Is it alright if I...keep it on?" She asked quietly, not wanting to part with the fabric her brother used to wear so often. Cartman gave a slight nod.

"Yeah, it's alright, Mysteriette." He attempted at a joke. Karen gave a very slight smile in response, her free hand now staying clasped around a portion of the purple fabric. Cartman made the first move out towards his truck, pulling open the front door of the McCormick house, holding it for the youngest McCormick to walk through, out into the bitter Colorado weather. Karen graciously accepted Cartman's act of kindness and walked out to his truck. His offensive behavior had worn down quite a bit after Kenny's passing. Ever since, he's been more kind and caring, especially towards Karen.

Not so much to Kyle, however.

Sure, the Jew jokes grew quite less, but there was still one in him every now and again. But he had definitely calmed down since his rise of Hitler fazes. But if there was anyone to which Cartman's wrath still carried on, it was towards Kyle, which wasn't surprising.

Karen removed her hand from the hood to open the truck's door. She took the big step from the snowy sidewalk up into Cartman's truck before placing her bag on the console and shutting her door. She clicked her seat belt in and watched as Cartman also entered the truck before applying his seat belt, the truck shaking slightly as he entered. He had slimmed down some since the fourth grade, but he was still considered overweight for his age. Perhaps that wouldn't be the case if he cut back on the cheesy poofs, but the great God above even knew that that would never happen.

Cartman turned the key that was in the ignition, placed his foot on the gas, put the car into drive, and the two were off towards the nicer part of town rather than the poor part of town. Karen stared out the window of his truck, watching as the trees and buildings passed by.

"Ya know, Karen, Kahl, Stan, and I wouldn't mind if you wanted to stay at any of our houses. Any time you want. We don't care if it's four in the morning, you can call us up and we'll come get you." He knew that the McCormick parents' drinking habits had greatly worsened since the death of the middle child, and that Kevin never really took any responsibility for Karen or cared enough to at least attempt to get rights over Karen. But after all of the friends of Kenny really thought it over, they weren't so sure if they wanted Kevin to have custody over Karen either. At times, he could be just as bad as his parents, if not a bit toned down.

"I know," She said with a gentle sigh. "Just...I don't like having to ask."

"Why not? All of our parents love you. Sharon loves having you over because Shelly never was all that girly, and you often tend to be a bit girly. My mom loves having you over because she never got the chance to have a daughter and she gets lonely at times. Heck, even Kyle's bitch of a mom loves having you over cause she never had a daughter."

"Language, Eric, please." Karen whined softly.

Cartman gave a slight chuckle. "Right. My bad," They sat for a few moments in silence as Cartman continued to drive, stopping at stop signs when needed and going at the correct speed limits before he gave a sigh. "Just know that the offer's there. And that you're never ever bothering us."

She nodded slightly, continuing to watch all of the passing houses as the grew closer and closer to Eric's home. In all honesty, she was kind of excited to see all of them again, including Ike. She hadn't seen them in a while, hence why they all must have planned this. They all knew that if they didn't take action, Karen would never ever ask to come see them, too afraid she would be bothering them.

At times, it was hard to ever believe that she was related to the blonde pervert who seemed to even shower with his parka on.

But at other times, it was completely believable that she was Kenny's true sister.

The two soon slid up into Cartman's driveway, two other cars sitting along the sidewalk. Karen knew that they were Kyle and Stan's. She had ridden in everyone's cars, and at this point it seemed normal. One of the three would always pick her up at home and from school, or sometimes the five of them-Kyle, Stan, Cartman, Ike, and Karen-would all just hop into one person's car and go to school and leave school.

Karen unbuckled, followed by Cartman and they both slid out of their seats. "Careful," Cartman warned, "the driveway could be a bit slick." Karen took his precaution and stepped with care up to his front door. She could see that Liane's room was not illuminated, signifying her slumber. The living room, however, was illuminated as well as the TV being on. She opened the door and smiled at the sight. Stan and Kyle, as much as she sometimes didn't like to admit it due to the two's dislike over the claim, looked completely gay for each other. Kyle and Stan were both in their pajamas, Kyle being curled up into a ball on the couch, resting his ushanka covered head on Stan's knee as Stan sat on a seat of the couch that Kyle didn't take up.

Ike was sprawled out on the floor in his Terrance and Philip pajamas, watching the screen intently.

Karen let out a small giggle at all of the boys she now dared to call brothers.

Except Ike.

She didn't know her feelings towards Ike completely yet, but she had a feeling that it was more than just a brother.

"Hey, Karen!" Stan called out from the couch. "Glad you decided to come! I love Kyle and Ike, but they get kind of boring after a while."

Kyle sent a playful glare up towards the black haired boy. Cartman came from behind Karen and glared at Stan as well. "Hey, what about me, fag?"

"Eh, you're just company. Not really wanted company either. And I'm not gay!" Stan shot back, a smirk upon his lips until his clarifying that he was indeed not gay.

 _Debatable,_ Karen thought to herself, a giggle ripping its way through her throat. "Are you sure, Stan?" She pressed with gentle giggles.

Kyle and Stan both seemed somewhat pissed off due to the two's pressing them of the sexuality, to which Ike just simply let out a fond chuckle and shook his head. "I'm sure!" Stan cried out, throwing a couch pillow towards Cartman. Cartman went to catch the pillow, but it instead hit him right in the face. Karen was quick to move out of the way, knowing that Cartman would be quick to run towards Stan to tackle him. When Cartman had moved from the doorway, she was quick to close the door, somewhat surprised that none of the boys had complained sooner about them allowing the chilling wind inside the heated house.

Karen sat next to Ike on the floor, who had by now sat up with his legs crisscrossed, watching as his brother's best friend tackled and fought with the tub of lard. "How've you been, Karen?" He finally spoke.

She looked towards him with a slight smile. "Better, I suppose. I mean, I don't cry _every_ night anymore."

Ike hummed underneath under his breath. "That's definitely a step forward." He uttered.

She nodded in response. It definitely was. She did use to cry every night, awaiting on her angel to appear at her window. It wasn't but a month did Kyle break the news to her. She shook her head. "What about you?"

The adopted Canadian looked to her. He wasn't as close to Kenny as the other three were or as close as she had been, but he still felt a bit grievous towards the loss of the perverted blonde. Especially since he had to watch his red headed brother suffer with the loss. "Kyle's been getting better. Spending time with you honestly helps him quite a bit."

Karen sat in silence for a moment, watching as Cartman continued to attempt to beat Stan, but now was only being held back by Kyle. Cartman's arms flailed around, attempting to get out of Kyle's grip. "I didn't ask how Kyle was," She finally spoke. "I asked how _you_ were. Ike Broflovski, not Kyle Broflovski."

He continued to look at her, not glancing back at his brother holding back the closest thing to Hitler. "As long as he's happy, I'm happy. After all he's done for me, I only strive to see him happy." He answered honestly.

Karen let out a tiny smirk. "You still hung up on what happened during the royal wedding?"

"Hey," Ike interjected, "Kyle was forced to go into the Tooth Decay role for me and was yelled at unfairly by Mr. Mackey." He explained.

"But you would do it all over again." Karen said with a full smirk.

"Darn right, I would! You shouldn't even be talking to me! I'm of a higher power than you!" Ike grinned valiantly with a bit of narcissism.

Karen rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, sure, Sir Ike, the Knight. News flash this is the United States of America, not Canada. Your knight title means nothing here."

He gasped in mock disgust and anger. "You dare threaten or question my power! We'll take that up upon the queen of Canada!" Karen giggled in response to all of Ike's shenanigans before a voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, you two lovebirds, quite making out!" Kyle yelled out from across the room, smirk across his face.

Ike growled from his spot on the floor. "Kyle, I will kill you!" He threatened, much to Kyle's amusement.

Karen gave quiet laughs, her hands drawing up to the hood on top of her head. Once everyone realized she was wearing it, they stopped roughhousing. Questioning glances from Kyle and Stan were shot towards Cartman, who shrugged in response to their quiet questions. Kyle sat back on the couch, legs drawn up crisscross, Stan sitting next to him.

There was a moment of silence before Cartman spoke up. "Do you need to shower?" He asked softly. "I know it's been difficult trying to keep up on that assortment of thing. You can use my shower if you'd like." Cartman offered. Karen gave a slight nod, standing from her seat on the floor. She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder once more before heading up the Cartman's much nicer stairs than her own. She headed to the bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind herself.

She stripped herself of her clothing, not wanting to take off the Mysterion hood. She looked at herself in the mirror, looking at all of her changes. Her hair had grown lighter since she was younger. It was nearly blonde at this point. Her face had grown a bit more mature look. Though, she was just eleven, her appearance had changed since the boys had been in fourth grade.

She shook her head before turning on the warm water in the shower and stepping in.


	4. Chapter 4

Hair feeling fluffy and clean, and skin smelling and feeling smooth and fresh, Karen laughed with the others as they continued their Terrance and Philip marathon. Karen sat on the floor surrounded by fluffy blankets next to Ike. Stan and Kyle resumed the same position as earlier on the couch while Cartman relaxed in the recliner in the corner. Kyle had his mid half covered up with a blanket as did Stan. Cartman was completely curled up in his own while Ike hadn't touched his. Karen had her blanket covering her up to her waist, circling around the rest of her body.

She enjoyed these types of nights, she came to find. Sitting up early in the morning, stars still dotting the night deceiving sky, with friends just watching the stupid comedy show of Terrance and Philip. Karen ran her fingers through the fur of Cartman's cat. Mr. Kitty purred against Karen's leg, relishing in the love and attention that he so rarely ever received. Karen leaned back on a pillow that lied back behind her. Mr. Kitty moved so that he was lying on top of her stomach, curling up and continuing to purr at the feeling of her gentle fingers running through his fur.

Ike leaned back against his own pillow as well. He looked at the youngest McCormick family member as her eyes focused on the TV screen. The young Jewish boy felt a slight stir in his chest as he watched her brown hair gleam from the light given off by the TV. He had taken on a bit of a sense of responsibility for her ever since Kenny's death. He always tried to make sure she was happy or at least distracted. He hadn't realized how pretty she honestly was. Reluctantly, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Karen's eyes widened as she felt someone wrap their arm around her shoulders. She glanced towards Ike, realizing that the arm belonged to the Canadian. Upon realizing this, she felt a gentle burning of her cheeks. Deciding to take advantage of this moment, she leaned against him and snuggled her head into the crook of Ike's neck.

Stan took notice of this cute, affectionate exchange and felt a smile tug on his lips. He tapped Kyle on the shoulder. Kyle raised his head slightly to look Stan in the eyes with a questioning gaze. "Look," Stank whispered, giving an inconspicuous pointed finger towards Ike and Karen. Kyle followed Stan's direction and gave a small smile at the scene that sat before them. "At this rate, Ike is going to have a girlfriend before any of us do."

Kyle gave a quiet laugh. "I always knew that Ike would grow up to be a ladies man," Stan laughed as well. The two glanced towards Cartman who had wide eyes at the two children on the ground. He looked towards Stan and Kyle and mouthed something that looked like a _is this really happening?_ Kyle smiled and nodded to which Cartman smiled as well. At this point, they were all confused towards how Ike and Karen were so oblivious towards the attention they were drawing towards themselves. Or, perhaps, they didn't care. Kyle looked up towards the ceiling. "Hey, McCormick," He whispered playfully, a bit of a choke audible in his voice, "looks like you and I may become brothers in law in the future."

Karen continued to cuddle closer to Ike, one free hand lacing it's fingers through Mr. Kitty's fur, the other placed on Ike's knee. Instead of a smile on her face, her lips were drawn in a straight line, her eyes telling all of the emotion that they needed to. She was content for the first time since her brother's passing. She was comfortable. She was happy. She was safe. She longed for this night to never ever end.

As more and more funny actions of Terrance and Philip showed on screen, Ike's as well as her own laughs got less and less violent so as to not disturb the other. She could feel the steady beat of her heart, and he could feel her own. Mr. Kitty had long fell asleep on Karen's lap.

As the time on the clock got to be later and later, Karen felt her eyes begin to droop more and more.

Long had she forgotten that she had stuffed the Mysterion hood in her bag along with her other clothes.

OoOoOoO

Streams of light from the window hit upon Karen's face. At first, she scrunched her eyes tightly to keep the sunlight out, but as more time began to go on and the sun didn't move, she decided that it was time to wake up. She opened her eyes, and nearly freaked out. This wasn't her house! Where on Earth was she?!

Then a pair of arms seemed to constrict around her waist just a tad bit tighter.

She remembered.

Her cheeks began to burn a bright red.

She moved her head back to see the youngest member of the Broflovski family. He was still asleep, just as was everyone else. Karen shifted her eyes to the digital clock underneath the TV's stand that contained the cable box.

 _12:37 P.M._

 _Holy crap,_ she thought to herself. _How much longer did the boys stay up than me? I had to have at least gone to bed no later than 3:30._ She squirmed a bit, attempting to release herself of Ike's grip before anyone else had the chance to wake up and make fun of both her and the Canadian. However, the more she wiggled, the more it looked as if Ike was going to wake up. Karen stopped wiggling and stayed frozen. She watched the boy as he slept for a moment. _What do I do,_ she wondered with an embarrassed thought?

Thinking it over, she decided to just stay like that until Ike decided to wake up. There was no point in making him wake up after he had been up nearly the entirety of the night.

Karen knew that Liane was gone and off at work, leaving her and the boys at home for the Saturday. Karen nearly smiled at the thought of staying with the boys all day. What would they do? Watch more Terrance and Philip? Go down to the arcade? Go swimming at Stark's Pond?

 _Man,_ she thought, _Kenny would love-_

She stopped.

Kenny's...

He's never coming back.

He's gone.

Dead.

The more she began to think like that, the more tears began to well up in her eyes. She missed him. Everything about him. His shaggy blonde hair, his sapphire eyes, his pine scent, wearing his orange parka when it was extremely cold outside and their heating systems were suspended due to bills going unpaid. That happened quite a lot, she could recall.

 _Kenny had just came through the front door of his own home, his eyes catching a glance at his drunk parents passed out upon their couch. Letting out a disappointed sigh, he took the dilapidated stairs up to his room, right next to Karen's. He looked into the open door of his own room, the entirety of it swallowed up by darkness from the night. He knew that he could attempt to flick the lights on, but that that would prove to be nothing more than a fruitless task._

 _He moved to Karen's room and placed a mittened hand on the brass handle. He debated entering the room for a few moments before finally deciding to enter the room._

 _Once the door swung open, he was greeted with nothing more than darkness. He stood there, blinking, getting used to the dark before his eyes could finally make out a for underneath the rags that served as a "heavy" blanket._

 _He stayed there for a few minutes, watching as the most innocent family member of McCormick family slept soundly in a home that did not deserve an angel of her caliber. He let out a quiet sigh, going to close her door. But as the door slowly creaked shut, he noticed a strange sound._

 _The longer he stood there, the more he realized that his little sister was shivering from the cold._

 _His heart dropped at the notion while his brain cursed his parents for using what money they did get on booze, weed or other addictive substances instead of taking care of the bare necessities for their children. He didn't care about himself or Kevin, they could both freeze and starve to death for all he cared. But Karen was different. She was so young and innocent, she deserved so much better than what her parents offered her._

 _"Karen?" He called out gently, wondering if the small child was awake._

 _Upon hearing his voice, the youngest of the McCormicks stopped shivering, frozen in place. Seeing that, Kenny knew immediately that she was awake. "You cold, sweetheart?"_

 _Her head slowly surfaced from underneath her blankets, her teeth chattering from the frigid home. "A-A little b-bit..." She admitted._

 _Kenny crossed over in her room, shutting the door behind him. He sat on her bed and took her hands into his own, nearly taking them immediately away from just the contact. Her hands were about as cold as the inside of a freezer. "Karen, Jesus!" He exclaimed. How had she gotten this cold? The more he looked at her, the more he realized that her lips were a shade that they shouldn't be, nearly blue. He took his parka off, hissing as the cold air hit his exposed arms, cheeks, mouth and any other exposed portion of his upper mid half._

 _No wonder why her body felt so cold._

 _But his parka was so warm._

 _He put the parka over Karen's head, the clothing article quite big for the small child. Her eyes widened at realizing what he was doing. "No!" She protested. "You'll get cold, Kenny! No!" But her protests fell on deaf ears, for Kenny didn't halt placing the parka on his baby sister. The sleeves surpassed her hands and the parka went a little bit further than her knees. He took the gloves off of his hands and put them on his sister's nearly frozen and completely chapped hands. She could hardly move her fingers, he could tell._

 _"Kenny, please stop! You're gonna get sick!"_

 _"Hush, Karen." He spoke gently, gathering her up in his arms. He picked her up and exited her room. He had better blankets than that. They were at least a bit heavier, and he had acquired a fuzzy one from one of his friends who hadn't wanted it anymore. He opened up his room, a short distance from Karen's room, and entered. He shut the door behind him and placed Karen on the bed. He went to his closet and pulled out a lamp that looked like the type that would be taken out on a camping trip. He pressed the button on the bottom rim of it and placed it right next to his mattress._

 _Both he and Karen had to squint for a bit once the light came on, their eyes now getting used to the light as opposed to the dark._

 _"What are you doing?" Karen asked in confusion and curiosity._

 _Kenny kept quiet as he sat on the bed, grabbing the fuzzy blanket and his heavy blanket, his blonde hair falling in his eyes several times, much to his aggravation, but he didn't let it show. He wrapped his sister up tightly in the fuzzy blanket before covering them both up with the heavy blanket. He wrapped his arms around the fragile child, allowing whatever body heat he had left to go to her nearly frozen frame. At this point she had given up any fight of getting away from him or attempting to take his parka off so he could keep warm. She merely cuddled closer to her big brother._

 _"I love you, Kenny." She mumbled, closing her eyes to sleep._

 _"I love you, too, Karen," He spoke, his voice clear as day without his parka on. "Did Kevin make you any food while I was gone?"_

 _Karen shrugged slightly. "He gave me a cookie." She informed with a yawn._

 _Kenny frowned. He and Kevin had had made an agreement. Kenny packs Karen's lunch, and finds her some assortment of breakfast to eat in the morning, and all Kevin has to do is make sure she gets food at night._

 _That's not difficult, Kenny thought disdainfully._

 _"That's pretty yummy," Kenny told her, "but not quite nutritional."_

 _Karen peeked her eyes open. "No, but he told me that if I don't like what he gives me that I can go out and find my own food." She informed._

 _Kenny felt his blood boil at the thought of Kevin speaking to their sister in such a manner. She didn't deserve that. "Baby, I'll take you out tomorrow with my friends and I. Sound fun? And I'll be sure to get you some food." He offered, although, it wasn't much of a choice for her. No matter her answer, she was coming with him tomorrow. Even if he had to drag her, which wasn't likely whatsoever._

 _Her eyes had widened a bit. "Kenny," She started, "would I be annoying to your friends?"_

 _"No, baby," He responded, rubbing her back in small circles. "They would love to have you. Well...Cartman may be a bit of a meanie, but that's normal for him. I'll kick his butt if he says anything mean to you, ok, dear?"_

 _Karen hesitated for a moment before giving in. "Ok, Kenny," She responded. She waited a moment, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to over take her. After she was certain that twenty minutes had gone by, she whispered a question. "Kenneth...do you think I'm a burden?" She knew he was asleep and that he wouldn't answer. Another five minutes passed, her body completely relaxed and nearly asleep._

 _"No. You're nowhere near a burden. You make life worth living, even when I'm not living at all. You give me a reason to fight and try, and I can't wait for when I graduate so I can get custody over you and get you out of this dump. And the Lord above knows that I'm going to question any boyfriend that you ever acquire. I will kill anyone that doesn't treat you like a princess. You give my life meaning, Karen." He answered, expecting the tiny child to be asleep. She snuggled closer to him in what he thought to be a sleep induced state._

 _Little did he know, she heard every word._


	5. Chapter 5

Stan cracked his eyes open, bringing his right fist up to his eyes to rub the sleep out of them. He noticed a weight on his legs and glanced down to see a still sleeping Kyle resting his head on Stan's thighs. Stan had to hold back a chuckle to keep from disturbing the sleeping Jew.

As gay as it sounded, the curly haired red head kinda looked cute asleep.

Not only asleep.

Also when he got a great grade on a hard test, or when he won a video game against Stan. Sometimes, although Stan would never admit it to himself, much less the others, he let Kyle win just so he could see him smile and laugh in victory.

Maybe, sometimes, he would fantasize about Kyle and how his lips would feel against his own.

Ok, so maybe he was a bit curious, but hey, no homo!

Right?

He wasn't gay, especially not with his Jewish best friend. Kyle would never accept any romantic feelings from another boy because of his religion.

Stan let out a gentle sigh, deciding to leave the matter alone for now and just stare at the wall ahead of him. He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in the silence.

It never seemed silent anymore. There was always some assortment of commotion or noise going on, and it was quite honestly stressing him out. Of course, the fighting at the McCormick home only seemed to get worse and worse, which was quite detrimental to the mental health of a girl Karen's age. That always left noise rattling on the inside of his head, especially if he stood right in front of the two while they bickered. But even when he wasn't standing right in front of them, he felt as if the noise of them fighting was stuck permanently in his head.

He couldn't imagine how Karen must be feeling.

Not only that, but they all had Karen on well needed surveillance. After Kenny's death, Karen's behavior became unpredictable and sometimes self destructive. They had already found a note once, the day right after his funeral. Luckily, they got to the bridge in time, the same exact bridge where Heidi had quit Twitter back in the fourth grade.

Once, he had found Karen with a blade against her arm.

Thank God he was able to get the blade away from her before she was able to cut at all.

He let out a sigh.

They all needed Kenny now more than ever.

A soft sniffle was enough to break Stan out of his train of thought. His head popped up and he stared at the area where Karen and Ike had fallen asleep. He waited for a minute before another sniffle was heard. "Karen?" He whisper yelled to ensure that those who were asleep wouldn't wake up from the sound of his voice.

He could feel tension in the atmosphere grow a bit and knew immediately that the sound had come from Karen. He looked down to the sleeping ginger before gently moving his head off of his lap and propping it up on a pillow. He stood up and walked over to Karen, nearly snickering at the pose she was in with Ike.

A part of himself felt like an ass for almost snickering while tears still streamed down her cheeks from her eyes, but another portion of himself decided that he simply could not help it. He gingerly helped Karen out of the position her and Ike had found themselves in without awaking Ike. As Karen found herself free and rising to her feet, Stan pointed toward her coat that hung on the coat rack. She knew immediately that they were going to go out for a bit without the others.

It was a common thing for them to do, in all honesty. Wake up before the others, regardless of how much sleep they had acquired from the night before. Cartman, Kyle, and Ike all slept like the dead. Whenever they would have sleepovers when Kenny was alive, Karen, Kenny, and Stan were always the first ones up.

Back then, Ike didn't join the slumber parties. Kenny often wouldn't give Karen a choice of whether or not she wanted to come or not.

Not that she ever would have objected.

Karen followed Stan's instructions and placed her coat on as well as her shoes. She ran out to his silver car while Stan continued to leave a note in case any of the others woke up before the arrived back to the house. It wasn't very likely that they would, but if someone did, at least they'd know where they were.

He placed the note down where he knew the others would see it before slipping his own jacket and gloves on, following after Karen.

Compared to Cartman's truck, Stan's car was microscopic. The car sat four, of course, but Cartman's truck was very big. It sat the normal amount of people, five, but as far as size went, it was extremely tall. Cartman would often joke with Stan and say that it was also a sign that something else of his was bigger than Stan's. Stan would always roll his eyes and dismiss the topic, but if Cartman said anything like that to Kyle, the two would argue for hours on end.

Which was always welcomed by the others, often.

Some things just never change.

And with all of the changes that had transpired lately, everyone needed some assortment of routine back. Even if it was Cartman and Kyle's senseless bickering, it always brought back fond memories of how it used to be. It brought back a nostalgic feeling that nearly everyone craved.

Thank God for somethings never ever changing.

Stan opened the driver's door before sitting inside. He closed it behind him with a bit of a slam, causing snow to fall from the roof and windshield of his car. "Buckled?" He asked softly, not looking at the youngest McCormick. She nodded, only to realize that Stan was not looking at her. She'd have to give a verbal response.

"Yes." Her voice sounded a bit strained due to her crying, Stan knew, although he was nearly certain that she was trying to hide any evidence that she had been crying from Stan.

It wasn't successful, and she knew that, but Stan let on know knowledge that she had been crying until he started to drive. To where? Only he knew.

"Wanna talk about it?"

The question caught her off guard, freezing her in place, not knowing how to answer. Stan sat in the silence for as long as she needed to think of an answer. He wouldn't push her. That would only hurt her even more. And that was the absolute last thing that he wanted to do to her. No one wanted to hurt her. Not in the least. Unless it was her parents. And Kevin hurt her second handedly. Not by hitting, punching, or smacking her, or even spouting degrading words and phrases at her. But by leaving her behind to deal with their parents on her own. Kevin could have easily gained custody over Karen. The police already had files down that only had to be signed by Kevin himself stating that he would take care of the child.

But he never signed those papers.

That left Karen alone with her awful parents.

Kenny had always talked about gaining custody over her when he reached eighteen years old and moving away from their parents. He would talk about how he would get a job and use every penny he earned towards Karen. Her schooling, food, shelter, college one day. He had it all planned out. He had even been working a part time job before he had gotten sick. He used the money he earned to pay for food for Karen and some of their school expenses, his and her own. Sometimes he would spend it on a luxurious item that wasn't really needed, but was nice to have every once in a while. Like a candy bar or a cookie or a toy for Karen to have.

That's the way things were going to stay, and one day get better as far as income came.

But that was all thrown away when the doctors diagnosed him terminally.

This wasn't like back in fourth grade when he had been diagnosed _"terminal"_ and got better after a while. This actually was true.

An assortment of cancer was his diagnosis. What type? Stan didn't remember. It was caught so late on, too. It couldn't have been three weeks after the diagnosis before he passed.

Remembering such things brought tears to Stan's own eyes.

God, had those days been difficult.

And they only got worse after he passed.

"Why?" Karen finally responded.

Stan cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Why what?"

"Why did he go?" She elaborated. "He...he always told me that he would come back. That even if he was gone for a while and no one knew where he was, he would be back before I knew it," Her fingers laced with the gold chain that clasped around her neck with the opening heart charm dangling by her chest. "So...why? Where is he? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

Stan didn't have to look over at the young girl to know that tears were streaming down her cheeks again. Yes, Stan also remembered Kenny saying things such as he'd always come back. He even remembered back when they were younger and were playing superheros and Kenny had gotten angry at everyone saying that he couldn't die. He remembered Kenny placing the gun at his temple, ready to pull the trigger. After that, Stan couldn't remember exactly what happened. It was all fuzzy. But he was nearly positive that he had been the one to talk him out of pulling the trigger.

After all, there was no way he could have pulled that trigger and lived for several more years.

No one was immortal.

Not even Kenny McCormick, no matter what he said.


	6. Chapter 6

"He's here," Stan said, eyes still on the road, turning the corner towards Stark's Pond. "He's right next to us, sitting on the console. You just want to say he's not here because you can't see him," That left her silent for a moment. He allowed that to sink in. "He's here. You may not see him right now, but he's always with you. Trust me, I know. When my grandpa died, it took a lot in my family to get over it, but knowing that he was always there kind of helped take some of the sting away. Dear, he's right next to you." He finished as he pulled into a parking space at Stark's Pond.

"What are we doing here?" Karen asked after a moment of silence.

Stan sat back in his seat and closed his eyes for a minute, basking in the silence. "How old are you again?"

Karen looked at her brother's friend with confusion. What was he getting at? "Eleven." She answered.

He smirked with closed eyes, arms still resting behind his head before he moved to unbuckle. "Get out of the car." He said as he opened his own door.

With a look of confusion plastered to her face, Karen complied and exited Stan's car only to watch him move to the passengers seat and sit on it. "What are you doing?"

"Well," He laughed, "you're gonna get your permit in just a few years. Why not get some practice in?"

She stood in shock, jaw opened wide, her mouth seeming like it would hit the floor if her jaw bones were that of a snake's. "You mean-"

"Go for it." He answered smoothly, hiding his laugh as he watched excitement leak from Karen's eyes. She squealed before running to the driver's seat and buckling up. She was excited at first upon being allowed to drive, but her excitement slowly began to fade to apprehension as she stared at all of the unknown buttons, sticks, and keys.

"H-How do I..." She began, looking at everything in confusion.

"Step on the break," Stan guided as he pointed at the pedal closest to Karen's left foot. She placed her left foot on the break to which Stan shook his head. "Place your right foot on it. You use your right foot for both the break and the gas," She nodded. Placing her foot against the break, she pressed down, looking to Stan for further instruction. "Pull the stick down to the R setting," He instructed, watching as she brought the stick down to reverse. "Gently let off the gas." He told her, her eyes going wide as she realized that the car was going in reverse.

"Which way do I turn?" She asked frantically, fear evident in her tone. Stan chuckled.

"First of all, calm down. You're doing ok. Secondly, turn the steering wheel to your left."

OoOoOoO

"That's enough practice for today." Stan concluded, looking at the shaky Karen. She had done well. Much better than he had honestly expected her to, but he could tell that she was still a bit scared.

She undid her seat belt and exited the car after she set the car back in park. She was quick to hop out of the car and run to the passenger's side. She ran because it was cold, she told herself. No other reason. It was just cold. She swore that's why. Stan also ran from the passenger's side and to the driver's seat, quickly shutting the door behind him as Karen already did.

"Thanks for letting me drive, Stan." She genuinely thanked.

He smiled as they both buckled up. "No problem. My dad made me start driving when I was only eight. Mainly because he was drunk." He laughed.

Karen cocked her eyebrow. It was scary enough driving at eleven years old, she couldn't imagine even _trying_ to drive at eight years old. "Your dad's kind of lost it in the head."

Stan didn't reply for a moment as he lead the car out of Stark's Pond's parking lot and towards the main road. "Yeah," He agreed. "But...he's always done what he can to look out for us. He may be an idiot, but he always has good intentions. No matter...how strange the topic seems." Stan said with a bit of laughter.

Karen nodded slightly. She was acquainted with the Marsh's. Especially since Stan played football growing up, and still continued to play. Kenny used to play with Stan when they were both younger, and the Marsh's would often give him a ride to and from practice. Karen had met Stan's parents a multitude of times, but was drawn more towards Sharon than Randy. She was more down to Earth than what Randy seemed to be.

And...a bit more sane.

As they pulled back into Cartman's driveway, Karen started to undo her seat belt with one had as the other hand clutched the small locket Kenny had gotten her one year for her birthday.

She missed him.

Terribly so.

Everyone in South Park knew so, even the rude children that attended the school.

Everyone, even the infamous Scott Tenorman never dared to pick on Karen, or ever bring up Kenny McCormick in front of anyone in a negative manner.

Changes had been made, new friendships grew and grew, and safety became better for Karen, as she now had places to go whenever she wanted or needed.

But as they both heard Kyle's and Cartman's yells from inside, she couldn't stop herself from giggling.

Some things never change.


End file.
